Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,68

he woke up and immediately started punching the air and cursing all the Scavengers of this God forsaken world—it was all very dramatic.” Mia chuckled. “It took some moonshine and a lot of coaxing before I found out that a camp to the East of us killed his parents.” I felt Patrick stiffen beside me at the mention of them.

“I nursed Latria Mu back to health. God, in the beginning I thought we were going to kill each other!" Mia exclaimed with a smile. "Each day, he hated me a little bit less until, eventually, he started looking for excuses not to leave. Finally, I just kissed him silly until he admitted that he liked me.” She eyed me mischievously.

I looked over at Huxley and felt a deep sadness permeate within me.

“We spent a few months together. It was young, foolish love. We were selfish, but he realized he needed to be home with his brother, and I realized I loved the challenge of him much more than I loved him,” Mia said while somehow producing a flask from beneath her skin-tight shirt. She took a swig of its contents with a wince before offering some to me and Patrick. I declined, but Patrick readily accepted. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms and I watched him as he took a giant gulp and wiped his plump lips with the back of his arm.

“Of course, my brother hates him, so there's also that,” Mia exclaimed with a chuckle, pulling me out of my intense observation of Patrick. Dread pooled in the pit of my belly. If her brother hated Huxley, would that mean that he would be unwilling to help us?

The flaps to the large, white tent opened, and an older woman with deep-set wrinkles exited with a solemn expression. Long white hair trailed down her back and frayed at the end.

“The Dormas representatives may join us now,” she said in a low tone, causing the entire village to grow silent. We all stood and slowly made our way into the tent.

Once inside, I saw that it was entirely furnished and had a fire pit in the center. More mysterious green flames danced in the center of a pit, and a hole in the ceiling allowed the smoke to clear. The tent comfortably fit twenty people, and on the far wall sat a raised pallet with a wooden chair coated with thick slate furs.

A man with long white hair and green eyes was perched upon it. He was shirtless but wore thick grey pants. Intricate scars in ornate designs covered every visible square inch of his pale skin.

With poised intention, he slowly raised his muscular arm and wordlessly gestured for us to sit. Mia left me and kneeled at his feet, facing us. Cyler sat to my right and Maverick on my left. As if by muscle memory, I tucked my legs beneath my bottom and bowed, a submissive display that Mistress Stonewell forced me to perform whenever she gave me orders or instructions. It was a position I retreated to whenever I felt like I was in a threatening situation.

“Welcome to my home,” the man on the makeshift throne covered in furs said. His voice was rich and flowed throughout the tent like warm honey. It contradicted his frightening demeanor.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Tallis,” Cyler’s authoritative voice replied. He was usually the one that managed trade negotiations, so I wasn’t surprised to see him take charge. He puffed out his chest and stared at Tallis with unyielding strength.

“Of course, my sister has ensured that you’d have a deal that makes this worth my time. I hope that you don’t abuse her faith in you.” He slid fierce eyes on Huxley. Huxley returned his glare with equal measure, causing the intensity of the room to increase tenfold.

“We're seeking to build a more beneficial alliance between our communities,” Cyler began. “Although over the past few generations your camp and my province have been peaceful towards one another, I think now is the time for our alliance to grow into something more forceful.”

I glanced over at Jacob whose chocolate eyes roamed the entire tent, continually checking for any danger or threat.

“I see,” was all Tallis said while petting the furs draped over his armrest in a sinister motion.

Cyler remained quiet, and a silent standoff between the two ensued. My eyes pinged between Tallis and Cyler, frantically wondering which alpha leader would react or respond first. It